Day 3 Joy Dare

3 Lines you overheard that were graces...

You can have the last piece, my daughter says to her younger brother at the breakfast table. That is hard to do when bacon is your favorite.

You are such a good artist. One student to another in my art class during show and share time.

The prayers of my children.

Light that caught you, a reflection that surprised you, a shadow that fell lovely...

This morning as we are driving to co-op. It is misty and the clouds are purple-gray with power and as morning starts to awaken an orange glow penetrates the gloom and rims the clouds with brilliant reds and oranges and all I can manage to utter in awe as we quietly drive is thank you Lord...

Joy Dare Day 2

A gift outside, inside on a plate...

This winter has proven to be a gift outside for me. Here in the Pacific Northwest the long gray days can wear on a girl. But this year God has been so kind and orchestrated many days without rain. Days with blue sky and crisp cold. I will take these even the overcast days with no rain any day of the week. I am so grateful it has allowed me to be outdoors more which is good for my overall peace of mind, health and spirit.

Inside, a gift we have had for many years is our wood stove. It is beautiful. And gives us such a warm cozy feeling. I am always content with the wood stove and a cracking fire inside.

A gift on my plate is nutritional food. I am so grateful to live in a country with so many food sources and options. To be able to provide good wholesome food to my family is a wonderful gift and one I often overlook.

Three Graces from people I love...

Today I was late getting my daughter and friends. They were so gracious even the hostess who had them late was cheerful and gracious to me and my lateness.

My husband is so kind to me. His love language is acts of service and I am so grateful for all the skills and now-how that God has given to him I don't believe I have ever had to call a repair man of any kind to fix things in our home.

The grace of prayer. I have many people in my life who pray for me and my family. Nothing is better than that.

A New Year

A new year, a clean slate, a blank page. I am so grateful for this time of change. Just last night my sweet husband took me out to a fun, lounge-y, coffee shop so we could set some goals for 2010. I was trying to remember the last time we had made our list and neither of us could remember. Oh dear! How life gets in the way and often distracts us from what is truly important...so, 2010 is the year of the new list!

I am a list maker by nature. It really does help me stay focused and steer free from distraction.

Here are some things from our list:

1. Be good stewards of what we already have.
2. Don't over commit our time
3. Prepare our children for the next season of life-big changes are on the horizon
4. Stick to priorities
5. Have more family fun

Personally:

1. I want to start a regular routine of practicing and doing my art.
2. I also want to streamline my time on the computer and be more affective in my day.
3. I also will be giving more time to my online business and liquidating inventory.

This is good news to those who like a good garage sale! In fact I will be having a Winter Attic Sale starting next week so stay tuned! All kinds of bobbles, bits and bundles of treasure and at a good price -what a great way to start the new year!